Sunday, December 20, 2015

Letters from the Irish Ordnance Survey 1834ish

So this is why I get no housework done - well except for laundry and dishes thanks to modern appliances that do all the work for me! So much for the good old days. haha

This morning I began reading through the Letters from the Irish OS. http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/digital-book-collection/digital-books-by-subject/ordnance-survey-of-irelan/ They are fascinating! I read through an LDS microfilm, 23 years ago, about the church in County Down, Northern Ireland where my families were all baptised, married, and presumably buried from. That film also included the names of all the Church of Ireland priests, their bios, along with their individual pictures. Now reading through these Letters I have a much better idea of what life was like for my Grandfather John GILMOUR bap. 1872, and his parents David GILMORE and Ann CLYDESDALE [m. 1867], and *their* parents Thomas GILMER & Rachel LITTLE [m. 1838] plus Joseph CLYDESDALE and Margaret BINGHAM. It's really interesting to read the OS person's assessment of the priest(s) [one was apparently an "appalling blockhead" haha] who would have held so much power over my ancestors, but these men are also discussing native plants and trees, and those that were imported; the local bogs; streams; vegetation; homes; churches; health; and on it goes. I have also stood upon the ground these people are speaking of. Isn't genealogy just the best? And who cares about housework anyway? hahaha Once I get through County Down I'll move on to County Mayo where some of my Mom's family originated. I'll need an Irish drink by then? LOL




Cheers,
Pat

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

What Did YOUR Ancestors See? - This Week in History

From FindMyPast - "One of the most amazing things about researching our family is thinking about the life-changing historical events they witnessed firsthand." Slavery ended. Boston Tea Party. First NFL game. First Flight! Did your ancestor see any of these events? https://blog.findmypast.com/this-week-in-history-1508228609.html?utm_source=fmp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=722097-A-13-A&utm_campaign=news&utm_term=FMP-CAM-Newsletter-161215-12-US&dclid=CLy21OHm4MkCFZQLDAodTLQJDA


Sorry my postings have been sparse as of late. Tiss the season I guess. I'm not ungrateful for the wonderful events happening in my life, I just wish they didn't all happen at the same time. On the bright side I believe my car can now drive itself to Regina and back, without any input from me. It's certainly done it often enough. haha And the roads remain in very good condition.


Cheers,
Pat

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Import FTM into Legacy

So now that the news has sunk in a bit, lots of people and companies are offering alternatives. If you have a favorite in mind, a quick Google search will probably offer you suggestions and there are tons of offers. My favorite, for more than a decade, has been Legacy who has just published this "How to import Family Tree Maker into Legacy PLUS your questions answered". http://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2015/12/how-to-import-family-tree-maker-into-legacy-plus-other-answered-questions.html

Plus Legacy has reduced the price to help out. http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/ And no, I have no affiliation with Legacy. I just like the company, and the support they offer.


Cheers,
Pat

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

FamilyTreeMaker - GONE

Every once in a while we get a real shocker ... and this qualifies. Ancestry is discontinuing FamilyTreeMaker genealogy software! WOW!!

So far the only information I can find is either on Ancestry's blog, or Facebook, which I cannot link to, but following is from Ancestry's blog. I'm sure there will be much more available really soon. Sheesh!! So glad I've been recommending and using Legacy for a decade.


"Posted by Kendall Hulet on December 8, 2015 in Family Tree Maker

Ancestry is proud to have made a significant investment this year to bring valuable new content and records to the Ancestry site. In 2015, we’ve made 220 million searchable historical records from Mexico available, more than 170 million pages from the largest collection of U.S. will and probate records, among others. We’ve also introduced new features such as Ancestry Academy and major advancements for AncestryDNA.

We remain dedicated to helping people gain new levels of understanding about their lives, and who and what led to them, harnessing the information found in family trees, historical records and genetics. As a company, we’re also continually evaluating ways to focus our efforts to provide the most impact and best product experience for our users through our core offerings.

True to this focus, we’ve taken a hard look at the declining desktop software market and the impact this has on being able to continue to provide product enhancements and support that our users need. With that, we’ve made the decision to stop selling Family Tree Maker as of December 31, 2015.

Our subscription business and website, on the other hand, continue to grow and we are doubling down our efforts to make that experience even better for our Ancestry community.

Ancestry will continue to support current owners of Family Tree Maker at least through January 1, 2017. During this time, all features of the software, including TreeSync™, will continue to work, and Member Services will be available to assist with user questions. We will also address major software bugs that may occur, as well as compatibility updates.

These changes are never easy, but by focusing our efforts, we can concentrate on continuing to build great products for our loyal Ancestry community.

If you have inquiries regarding Family Tree Maker, please reach out to our Member Services team. We’ll also provide updates on our blog as needed leading up to January 1, 2017.



Cheers,
Pat

Thursday, December 3, 2015

1812 Database

Another gem from Library and Archives Canada.

"This online database allows you to access more than 45,000 references to names of people who were involved in the War of 1812. Names of Canadian men and women who served were taken from LAC’s unique and vast collection of records, including:
• muster rolls
• pay lists
• claims
• certificates of service
• land grants
• medal registers
Start searching the War of 1812 now!" http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/war-of-1812/Pages/search.aspx


Cheers,
Pat

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Western Ukraine Tobacco Factory

Thanks to Edmonton branch of Alberta Genealogical Society for the following post on their facebook page. The pictures don't transfer well so if interested do a Google search for 'Edmonton branch Alberta Genealogical Society". This caught my interest as it's the same area my husbands family were from.


Stories from Western Ukraine - Historical Zablotow Tobacco-Fermentation Factory.
Recently I became aware of a special tobacoo-fermentation plant located in the Town of Zablotow, Sniatyn District, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast/Province in Western Ukraine. My relative Jadwiga lives in the town and she provided me with some of the information included.
The plant opened in Austro-Hungary in 1872. For a long time it was famous for its products. In addition to utilizing local raw materials, the company imported tobacco from Latin America, Cuba, Puerto Rica and Brazil.

It was located on 12 acres of fenced property and still has a guard on duty today. Entering the gate, you see tropical gardens & old buildings, not standard factory buildings. Amongst the trees, the creeping ivies are growing well & beautiful Austrian rooms exist. There is a dining room, boiler room, administrative building, a Club with an Orchestra House for visitors, where people could stay. Also included were many garages, mechanical & carpentry workshops, fermentation rooms; the foundation of the plant. The thickness of the walls is about 80 c.m. The cobbled streets of overgrown grass paths have sewage hatches and grating with the Polish markings "Stanislow" and name of the tile maker. Stanislow is the previous oblast/province name for Ivano-Frankivsk. In the center, a monument of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria stood. We have stepped back in time about 100 years. Remnants of the glorious Carpathian tobacco industry. These are the oldest buildings in Zablotow.

At one time a cigar shop operated out of a small building within the complex. Cigars were manually rolled but under Soviet rule production stopped. Instead the plant moved into processing tobacco from Ukraine and produced cigarettes.
The tobacco processing procedure was very long & slow. Originally, the yellow leaves from the bottom withered and gradually the full stems were dried. The drying took about a month and a half. The natural fermentation took place for almost a year in special premises. The chemical reaction reduced the moisture & temperature and less tar & nicotine resulted. There were 5 stages and this is somewhat similar to the principles used in the aging of wines and it had a honey aroma & flavor.

Early on Zablotow and 4 other tobacco plants were operating. There had been 3 in the Ternopil Region and one in Crimea. Today in Ukraine only one tobacco-fermentation plant is in operation at Borschiu (Ternopil Region).
The complex is waiting for a new owner and is a great example of the industrial architecture of the 19th century.

My second cousin's Mother Karoline worked in the factory for many years. However, when it came time for her to retire, the administration building had burnt down previously and there were no papers to prove she had worked there, so no pension was provided to her by the company after World War II.

'Map & sign outside the Front Gate'
'The Guard House.'
'Administrative Building'
'All the entrances are closed and the basement is flooded.'


Cheers,
Pat